The Warren Select Board got some good news about the estimated cost of its new town garage, with the estimate for the bond coming in at $9.7 million, down from earlier estimates that ranged from $12 to $15 million.
The board discussed the updated estimate at a July 1 meeting.
The town will bring the bond vote before voters in November. If the bond passes the project will go out for bid, to start construction in the spring and complete it by November 2026.
At a July 1 meeting members of the select board reviewed the bond estimate from ReArch with updated cost estimates for the 12,000-square-foot structure (plus 1,825-square-foot mezzanine) that will be constructed on town-owned land on Vaughn Brown Road.
Here is how the cost estimate breaks down:
- Total project costs $9.671 million.
- Construction $7.4 million.
- Concrete work $399,580.
- Structural/steel $600,077.
- HVAC systems $942,275.
- Electrical systems $561,400.
- Roofing and Siding $629,053
- Site work and utilities $1.4 million.
- Project management fees $1.0 million.
- Construction management fees $131,828.
- General conditions/supervision $1.0 million.
- Built in contingencies $672,320.
At this week’s meeting, select board chair Devin Klein Corrigan said that with construction costs coming in at $527 per square foot ($634 per square foot with contingencies), the project falls within the average construction rates of $400-$600 per square foot.
She said that there are still a few unknown elements to the estimate that are being refined. Warren is allocating the balance of its federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for the project and that amount is still being determined.
“I think it’s $127,000 but once we know, that will come out of the bond request,” she said.
Klein Corrigan said that it was possible costs could come in lower than anticipated and reminded the board that the project is being built as ‘solar ready’ and said that if the public agrees and there are unused bonded funds, it might be possible to re-allocate those funds to add solar power to the garage.
The select board meets next on July 8 at 6 p.m. At that meeting board members will have a chance to dig deeper into the details of the ReArch estimate. ReArch representatives along with Wiemann Lamphere Associates (WLA) representatives will be on hand.
“It will not be an open public discussion, but everyone’s welcome to come listen to the presentation. On July 21 at 5 p.m. we will have a special meeting for the public to engage with WLA and ReArch regarding the estimate for the design and the project as a whole,” Klein Corrigan said. That begins is at 5 p.m. at the town office.
